Tehran: The stalemate in peace talks with the United States seems to have fuelled tensions within the Iranian leadership, with President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reportedly seeking the removal of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. According to a report by Iran International, the two leaders have accused Araghchi of bypassing the presidency to follow directives from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on nuclear talks with Washington.
Citing sources, the UK-based media outlet reported that Pezeshkian and Ghalibaf believe Araghchi has sidelined them over the past two weeks, acting less as a cabinet minister tasked with implementing government policy but more as an aide to IRGC Commander Ahmad Vahidi.
Sources said Araghchi has been acting on the IRGC chief’s directive, without keeping Pezeshkian in the loop. Frustrated over this, Pezeshkian has told his associates he will fire Araghchi if this continues, the report said.
Iran has not released any official statement on the matter, and NDTV could not independently verify the claims.
Rift In Iran’s Leadership?
The latest developments come against the backdrop of an earlier report claiming significant divisions within the Islamic Republic’s administration. Iran International first reported on disagreements between Pezeshkian and Vahidi on 28 March, with sources telling the UK-based media organisation that the dispute was rooted in “the handling of the war and its destructive consequences for people’s livelihoods and the country’s economy”.
The Iranian leadership crisis is also being seen as one of the reasons behind the stalemate in talks between Washington and Tehran over converting the fragile ceasefire into a permanent arrangement. On April 15, Israel Hayom reported that Americans were frustrated that the Iranian delegation that went to Islamabad for talks didn’t have full authority to make a deal.
The report said that one of the American terms for restarting talks was that Tehran’s negotiators must have full authority from the IRGC to finalise any agreement.
It was also reported that two senior Revolutionary Guards officials, Ahmad Vahidi and Ali Abdollahi, did not allow the political delegation that was in Pakistan to provide answers to the Americans. Following this, Pezeshkian has reportedly demanded that parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is leading the Iranian delegation, take a stand and “save Iran from total economic collapse”.
